Former employees of Grameenphone staged a cultural protest in Chattogram on Sunday, demanding payment of five percent delayed arrears they say have remained unpaid for nearly 16 years.
The protest, titled ‘Protest on the Streets’, was held from morning until noon at various locations across the city, where demonstrators used songs, poetry recitations and other cultural performances to draw public attention to their demands.
The programme began in front of Grameenphone’s regional office before moving to different locations and Grameenphone centres in a mobile vehicle. Baul singer Mojaher performed during the programme, while poetry recitations highlighted the former employees’ outstanding dues and their long-running campaign.
The protesters said thousands of former Grameenphone employees had been deprived of what they described as their rightful five per cent delayed arrears for almost 16 years.
They said repeated communications, discussions and initiatives at various levels had so far failed to produce an effective and acceptable solution.
Co-ordinators of the Grameenphone 5 Per Cent Delayed Arrears Recovery Unity Council said about 3,300 former employees had been holding peaceful programmes in different parts of the country for the past 21 months.
Their campaign has included symbolic protests wearing shrouds, prayer gatherings, tree-planting programmes, public readings, poetry recitations and musical performances.
They have also submitted memorandums to the Prime Minister through various government offices, regulatory authorities and the deputy commissioners of all 64 districts, the co-ordinators said.
“We have been demanding our rightful dues through completely peaceful and democratic means for a long time,” the co-ordinators said. “We believe this is our legal and legitimate right. An effective intervention by the authorities concerned and the government is needed to end the prolonged delay and resolve the issue quickly.”
Speakers at Sunday’s programme, moderated by Soleman Mehedi, included Md Rezaul Karim, Md Arshad and Ariful Islam Arif.
They warned that the movement would be expanded if the issue remained unresolved despite years of waiting and repeated peaceful protests.
The protesters called for a swift and acceptable solution to ensure payment of the five per cent delayed arrears by the end of 2026.
They also warned that broader peaceful programmes would be announced in phases if their demands were not implemented within the stipulated timeframe.
However, they said they continued to prioritise resolving the dispute through dialogue.